Head to head
Ide vs Chub
Ide
VS Chub
The ide and the chub are two large, silvery members of the carp family that share rivers across Europe, and anglers regularly mistake one for the other.
| Ide | Chub | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Leuciscus idus | Squalius cephalus |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the carp family that shares many rivers with the chub | A fellow member of the carp family that shares many rivers with the ide |
| Body shape | A deep, laterally flattened, silvery body with a bluish-grey back | A thick, cylindrical, silvery-bronze body with dark-edged scales |
| Head and mouth | A smaller mouth than the chub | A blunt, broad head and a large mouth |
| Diet | Insects, crustaceans, molluscs, and plant material, with larger fish also taking small fish | Insects, crayfish, snails, small fish, and fruit such as cherries and elderberries that fall into the water |
| Behaviour | Moves in shoals in slow rivers and lakes, and in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea | Famously shy, bolting at the slightest shadow, with young fish in shoals and older fish lying alone under trees and in deep pools |
| Ornamental form | A golden-orange cultivated form, the golden orfe, is widely kept in garden ponds | No ornamental form is widely kept |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, native to northern and eastern Europe and northern Asia, and introduced to Britain and elsewhere | Least Concern, native to rivers across most of Europe and parts of western Asia |
Ide vs Chub: common questions
How can you tell an ide from a chub?
The ide has a deeper, more laterally flattened body and a smaller mouth, while the chub has a thick, cylindrical body, a blunt, broad head, and a large mouth.
What is a golden orfe?
It is a golden-orange cultivated form of the ide, widely kept in garden ponds.
Which one is wary?
The chub, a famously shy fish that bolts for cover at the slightest shadow or vibration.